Improvement in magazine fire-arms



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIGE E. C. KRK AND E. SNEIDER, OF BALTIMORE,MARYLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN MAGAZINE lFIRE-ARMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 66,596, dated July 9,1867.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, E. CLARENCE KIRK and E. SNEIDER, of the city ofBaltimore, in

the county of Baltimore and State of Maryland, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Magazine Fire-Arms; and we do hereby declarethat the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of thisspecication, in which- Figure l is a sideelevation of the butt of acarbine, illustrating the follower-tube drawn out; Fig. 2, a centrallongitudinal section of the magazinetube, showing in elevation thefollower-tube in position therein; Fig. 3, a perspective view of theouter ends of the two tubes, illustrating the relative position of theslots in Aeach and their offsets; Figa, plan view of the butt-plate,illustrating the 1novements of the follower-tube 5 and Fig. 5, a sideelevation of a part of the gun-stock, showing the followentube in theposition for loading, and illustrating the position of the curved offsetin the inner end of the magazine-tube.

Similar letters indicate like parts in all of the gures.

The nature of our invention consists of improved devices for retractingor compressing the spring in the follower-tube of a magazine fire-arm,and for arresting and subsequently releasing the same, and also in soconstructing the tube as that the magazine may be loaded with cartridgeswithout wholly withdrawing said tube from the gun.

In the magazine for fire-arms now in use the cartridges are usuallypressed forward to the feeding devices, which introduce them into thechamber of the gun by means of a spring contained within a tube iittingclosely within the magazinetnbe, and in loading the magazine it becomesnecessary to withdraw this spring follower-tube entirely from the gun inorder to load the magazine and obtain a compression of the spring uponthe cartridges. This prevents loading in .action or in motion, and oftenresults in the loss of the followertube thus' withdrawn and a consequententire disablement of the gun. Our improvements remedy these objectionsby providing a follower-tube wherein the spring may be compressed andcartridges inserted to load the magazine without its detachment from thegun. Y i, n Y ,Y Y, To enable others skilled in the art to make and useour invention, we will proceed to describe the construction andoperation of our device.

The magazine-tube A is secured in the gunstock, and connected at itsinner end with the feeding mechanism of the gun in the usual manner asfound in Spencers patent rifle, and it is provided with a concentricspringfollowertube, B, tting closely, yet sliding freely therein, andwhich is fitted with a plunger, (l, (see Fig. 3 and dotted lines, Fig.1,) working in said tube B, and actuated by a spring, D, inclosedtherein.

A narrow slot, a., is cut longitudinally in.

the follower-tube from a point near the lower or front end to the upperouter end thereof, and a pin or screw, o, secured in the side of theplunger (l, plays in said slot. rlhe outer magazine-tube, A, inclosingthe follower-tube B, is also slotted longitudinally along its entirelength to receive the head of the plunger pin or screw c, which projectsthrough the slot a in said inner tube, B. Offsets f and g, Fig. 3, areformed in both tubes near the outer ends of said slots, but on oppositesides of the line thereof, as illustrated in Fig. 3.

The upper or outer end of the inner spring follower-tube, B, is closedand provided with a handle, E, so formed as to t closely upon thebutt-plate of the gun when the tube is pressed down in the maga-zine, asillustrated in the positive black lines of Fig. 4.

A short distance from its outer end, and at a point opposite the slot inthe tube B, an aperture, K, Figs. l and 5, is pierced in its side ofsufficient size to allow a cartridge to be introduced through the sameinto said tube, as shown in Figs. l and 5. A small flat spring, F,secured at one end of the aperture, extends across the same to preventthe return of cartridges inserted therein, and also to coniinc thespiral coils of the sprin g D within the tube. The pin c, extendingthrough the two slots a b, and -moving freely therein, prevents a rotarymovement of the tube B within the fixed magazine-tube A, except at theoffsets of said slots.

To allow the handle E to be turned aside, as indicated in red, Fig. 4,when the tube B is still in place within the magazine, so that the tubemay be withdrawn for loading, an offset, a', is formed in the slot ofthe magazine-tube A, at.its lower end, as illustrated in Fig. 5, so thatthe screw-head c may turn at that point of the slot. The upper portionof said offset is made to incline back with a gradual curve to the slot,as seen in Fig. 5, so that in withdrawing the tube by the handle turnedas indicated in red, Fig. 4, the. screwhead c, working against thisinclined face of the offset, will automatically turn the tube back intothe position indicated in the positive black lines of Fig. 4 and in theele\f'ation, Fig. l. When the tube B has been thus drawn out from theinner tube, A, so far as that the head of the plunger pin or screw cprojecting through its slot a shall be in register with the offset f(seeFigs. 3 and l) in the slet of the outer magazine-tube, A, its furtherwith drawal is prevented by means of a side spring, H, in the butt ofthe stock engaging with a notch, d, Figs. l and 2, cut on the side ofthe tube to receive it; and now'by again turning the inner tube a shortdistance, (to the position shown in red lines, Fig. 4) the screw isbrought into said offset fand engages therewith, so that upon pressingdown the inner tube in this position the plunger G will be arrested andits spring compressed into the upper end of the tube. When the spring isthus compressed, and the plunger forced into the upper end of the tubeB, the offset g in the slot b of said tube will be in a line with thepin or screw-head c. By now turning the tube still farther, as indicatedby the blue lines, Fig. 4, the pin c will be forced upon the said offsetg of the inner tube slot, and resting thereon will be retained therebyin its compressed state, as illustrated in Fig. 3, in which the tube Bis shown as drawn up pa-rtially out of the tube A. When the stop or pinc of the plunger is thus made to rest upon the offset g and hold thespring in its compressed state, the tube B may be again withdrawnsufiiciently far to bring its aperture K outside of the butt, so thatcartridges may be inserted through the the same into said tube and themagazine of the gun. By means of a second notch, c, the spring H arreststhe tube at this point also; but this notch is so limited as that byturning the tube into the first position of Fig. 4, the spring H will bedisengaged therefrom, and the tube be permitted to slide freely backinto its place in the tube, A, with the end of the stop or pin oconfined between the sides ofthe slot a ofthe outer tube A, but itsshank left free to move along the offset g to the slot b in the innertube. Hence by now turning the tube B back to its first position the pinc will be carried off from its rest upon the offset g into the slot b,and the spring be thereby released and left free to bear upon thecartridges in the maga-zine to force them forward in the gun. As thenotches d and c, which engage the retaining-spring H to control theWithdrawal of the sliding tube B in its ordinary movements, as justdescribed, are so limited in their extent as not to wholly encircle it,the spring may be entirely released from the last notch, and the tube bewith facility entirely withdrawn from the gun by turning it entirelybeyond the point of engagement for the purpose of cleaning the same.

rlhe movement of my improved tube is simple: The magazine being entirelyemptied of its cartridges, and the spring-follower therefore at thelower end thereof, the sliding tube B, containing the spring D andplunger C. is withdrawn to the outer notch, d, where it is arrested bythe engagement of the side spring H with said notch. At this point thestop c is by a partial turn of the tube, as indicated by red lines, Fig.4, turned into the offset f, and thus arrested, and the tube is thenforced inward, compressing the spring until when brought fully home, theoffset g is brought into register with f, and by a further turn of thetube this offset is carried under said stop and engages the same. rlhespring is thus confined in the upper end of the tube above thefeeding-aperture K, and by withdrawing the tube slightly this apertureis brought outside of the butt in a proper position to permit theinsertion of cartridges therein, as illustrated in Figs. l and 5. Whenso filled the tube is pushed home to its place in the butt, when theturn thereof to bring the handle into proper position on the butt-platedisengages the spring-stop c from the offset g, and, leaving it free toplay down the slots a b, brings the action of the spring to bear fullyupon the cartridges.

Ve contemplate placing a spiral spring in the butt to operate a catchWorking against the tube B, or to press immediately against this tube,as an equivalent for the iiat spring H in arresting the outward movementof the tube; and the spring might in some cases be secured to the tubeand be made to operate against a suitable projection or catch on thebutt or butt-plate.

Although we regard the arrangement of offsets in combination withlongitudinal slots in the tubesA and B as affording the simplest devicefor obtaining an automatic retraction, detention, and release of thespring-actuated plunger, we nevertheless contemplate the use of anysuitable device-such as a spring-catch, a hook, or short lever, &c.forretaining the spring in the outer end of the sliding tube B after itscompression, and until the magazine has been duly lled with cartridges,our invention having mainly reference to the automatic retraction of thespring without withdrawing the magazine-tube wholly from the gun.

Having thus fully' described our improvements, we claim therein as newand ,desire to secure by Letters Patentl. (lonflning the slidingmagazine-tube of a repeating {ire-arm by means of a spring, forming anadjustable detent, permitting at pleasure the entire Withdrawal of thetube from the gun, substantially in the manner herein set forth.

2. The combination of an inner longitudiilally-slotted1nagazine-tube,B,with an in closing longitudinallyl grooved or slotted tube, A7 and witha feeding mechanism of a repeating fire-arm, all substantially inthemanner and for the purpose herein set forth.

3. The combination and arrangement of slot Q and offset g in themagazine-tube B with slot or groove b and o'set f in stationaryinclosing-tube A of-a repeating fire-arm, for the purpose ofautomatically retraoting and de-

